Gravity escapement for clocks.



No. 739,245. PATENTBD SEPT. 15, 1903. W. WILLMANN.

GRAVITY ESCAPEMENT FOR CLOCKS.

. APPLICATION IILBD APR. 7, 1903.

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No. 739,245. PATENTED SEPT. 15, 1903.

4 W. WILLMANN. GRAVITY ESGAPEMENT FOR CLOCKS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7. 1903 N0 MODEL. 2 snnz'rs snmur 2.

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UNITED STATES Patented September 15, 1903 WILLIAM WILLMANN, OF WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND.

GRAVIT Y-ESCAPEMENT FOR CLOCKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,245, dated September 15, 1903.

Application filed April '7. 1903. Serial No. 151,487. (No model.)

To ail whom it nttty concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM WILLMANN, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at 37 Herbert road, Wimbledon, Surrey, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clock-Escapements, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in clock-escapements.

According to the invention I make use of an escape-wheel having in conjunction with itasuspended impulse-arm, the said impulsearm beingprovided withapallet-arm,to which the escape-wheel applies an impulse once every double oscillation, and a pallet against which each tooth of the escape-wheel successively bears. The impulse-arm is also provided with a lifting-arm, by means of which the said lever is raised through the medium of a cam-wheel keyed upon the same arbor as the,escape-wheel. The freely-suspended pendulum receivesits impulse from the weight of the impulse-arm and from the impulse imparted to the said arm by the escape-wheel.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the escapement mechanism made according to the invention, the parts being shown in the position in which the pendulum is just receiving an impulse. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof; and Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 1, but showing the parts in a different position.

a represents the escape-wheel, which in the arrangement shown has nine teeth and is mounted upon an arbor b, driven from the seconds-hand arbor cthrough the medium of the wheel 0 upon the arbor c, said arbor being driven by the usual mechanism. This wheel 0' hasforty teeth and gears with a pinion 1) upon the arbor b, the said pinion having twelve teeth.

dis the pendulum, which is suspended at d, and e is the impulse-arm, pivoted at e.

f is the pallet-arm with which the impulsearm is provided, the said pallet-arm having at its outer end a roller f, loosely mounted on.

a pin f upon the end of the said arm f.

g is a pallet which is provided on the impulse-arm e, and h is the lifting-arm on said arm 6, i being the lifting cam-wheel, which is keyed upon the arbor b and withthe teeth of which arm 7L engages.

The improved escapement operates as follows-that is to say, assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1, the pendulum moving in the direction of the arrowj under the action of its own weight and the impulse given by the weight of the impulse-arm e, the pin is upon the lower end of which bears against said pendulum, as clearly shown, then the rollerf upon the end of the pallet-armfreceives an impulse from the tooth 1 of the es cape-wheel a, which is moving in the direction of the arrow Z, so that the said arm f, and thereby the impulse-arm e, is moved in the direction of the arrow The pin upon the impulse-arm e thus gives a further impulse to the pendulum d in the direction of the arrowj until the tooth 1 of the escape-wheel is free from the roller f The escape-wheel then continues its movement until the tooth 2 strikes the pallet g, as shown in Fig. 3, the impulsearm ebeing returned to the position shown in Fig. 3 by the engagement of the cam-wheel 21 with the arm h. In the meantime the pendulum has continued its upward movement in the direction of the arrow j, Fig. 1, and has returned, and upon nearly completing its movement on the return oscillation it again comes in contact with the pin it upon the impulse-arm e, as shown in Fig. 3. It therefore moves the said pallet so as to release the tooth 2 from the pallet g, whereby the escapewheel is then free to move farther until the tooth 3 comes into contact with the pallet f.

Upon the pendulum reaching the limit of its upward movement in the direction of the arrow m, Fig. 2, it again falls by gravity, together with the impulse-arm e, the weight of which gives an impulse to the pendulum, as in the case of gravity-escapements. Upon the pendulum attaining the position indicated in Fig. 1 the further impulse is given from the escape-wheel, as above described, so that the operation begins de novo. It will be obvious that the escapement cannot run down, as a tooth of the wheel is always locked.

The teeth of the escape-wheel are so shaped that after the pendulum unlocks the said wheel and a tooth strikes the roller f a slight recoil of the wheel takes place, this being of advantage in the case of large clocks.

In practice the escapement-wheel and the driving-wheels have advantageously the relative numbers of teeth stated above and the pendulum is arranged to receive one degree of impulse on either side of the center line, the impulse being given tothe pendulum during the Whole single oscillationthat is to say, While it is moving through one degree on each side of the center linein the direction of the arrowj, Fig. 1.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Lettors Patent, is-

1. In a clock-escapement, the combination with an escape-Wheel, of a pendulum, an impulse-arm provided with a lug adapted to engage with said pendulum,a pallet-arm secured to said impulse-arm,said pallet-arm being provided with a pallet through which impulse is given to said impulse-arm in one direction, a pallet on said impulse-arm and means for giving an impulse to said impulse-arm in the opposite d.irection,substantially as described.

2. In a clock-escapement, the combination with an escape-wheel, of a pendulum, an IlI1- pulse-arm provided with a lug adapted to engage with said pendulum, a pallet-arm secured to said impulse-arm, said pallet-arm being provided With a revoluble pallet through which impulse is given to said impulse-arm in one direction, a pallet on said impulse-arm and means for imparting an impulse to said impulse-arm in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

3. In a clock-eseapement, the combination with an escape-Wheel, of a pendulum, an impulse-arm provided with a lug adapted to engage With said pendulum, a pallet-arm secured to said impulse-arm, said pallet-arm being provided with a revoluble pallet through which impulse is given to said impulse-arm in one direction, a pallet on said impulsearm, a cam Wheel simultaneously operated with the escape-Wheel and adapted to engage With a projection on the impulse-arm forimparting to the same an impulse in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

WILLIAM WILLMANN. Witnesses:

JOHN E. BOUSFIELD, G. G. REDFERN. 

